[Blindtlk] Walking Straight Without a Shoreline

Sun Apr 27 20:11:55 UTC 2014

Hi,

First, my name is Anita, and I am fairly new to the list.

I have taught some cane travel. Some of what I am going to say has already 
been said. The sun and wind can be clues. For example, if the sun is to your 
left when you start, it should stay on your left until you get there if you 
are intending to walk straight. If the breeze is in your face, it should 
stay there if you are walking straight. Of course, the same thing works with 
slopes and the like. Any stationary sound clue should also remain in its 
current direction, for example, sound traffic should stay on your right if 
you started with it there. Traffic is a great assistant when traveling 
straight because you can use the traffic direction as a clue, but of course, 
other helpful sounds are useful too. Also practice is wonderful. Also, 
learning to trust yourself is key. I can remember when I first decided to 
see where I would end up if I decided to keep walking, even though my every 
instinct told me to veer this way or that, hoping all the while I would end 
up straight across from where I had started. And, guess what? I stayed 
straight. Sometimes, we feel we are veering and we decide to correct 
ourselves, when it isn't necessary. So practice this skill in a very 
familiar area where you know it is okay to veer anyhow, and then try it on 
this parking lot. You will find that in this case, it is still probably okay 
to do some veering, but resisting the urge to go with your instincts and 
correct your steps will probably keep you from veering in the first place. 
Also, remember that the goal isn't getting from landmark to landmark, but 
getting to the building. Buildings are pretty big, and so even if you land 
somewhere farther to the left than you intended, you are still highly likely 
to locate the building at which point you can walk along the building to the 
door. Finally, it is important to pick your feet up, walk with good posture 
and look in the direction you intend to end up, even if you can't see. 
Learning to form a mental map during travel will also help you keep on a 
straighter path. Remember it is ok to make mistakes. That's how we learn, 
and once you aren't afraid to make a mistake, you will make fewer mistakes 
anyhow. Know that you may only need to use one of these techniques to get to 
your destination, or you may use a combination of them. Good luck!

Hope this helps. Anita

-----Original Message----- 
From: Brandon Olivares
Sent: Saturday, April 26, 2014 9:51 PM
To: Lloyd Rasmussen ; Blind Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Walking Straight Without a Shoreline

Thank you for your reply.

The parking lot is probably a couple hundred feet long. The only landmark is 
a pole after you’ve crossed the street. After I hit the poll, I know I have 
to turn 90° to the left. After that is the difficult part with the wide open 
parking lot.

There is a street to the left, with a good bit of traffic. I’d not say 
constant, but at least every 5-10 seconds there is some traffic.

Finding the building itself is easy. Once it gets close enough, I can…hear 
it I guess, if that makes sense.

All the cars are too the right, pretty far over I think as I’ve never run 
into any of them.

I think you’re right that it’s going to be impossible to stay within the 
lines. It is good to recognize that I think. As long as I stay out of the 
way of any cars coming into or out of the parking lot, I should be fine.

Thanks,
Brandon
On Apr 26, 2014, at 8:50 PM, Lloyd Rasmussen <lras at sprynet.com> wrote:

> There are a number of things you are not describing well enough for us to 
> give you good advice.  Is the distance across the parking lot a hundred 
> yards or 50 feet.  If 50 feet and the parking lot has a cement surface, 
> you could tap your cane and get an echo from the grocery store building. 
> How full or empty is the parking lot when you are crossing it?  In which 
> direction are the rows of cars (and the little curbs that mark the center 
> lines between two rows of cars (parallel to or perpendicular to the path 
> you need?)  Does a street run parallel to the direction you need to 
> travel, on your left or right, and does it have enough traffic for you to 
> judge what direction it is running?  Are there sounds from your side of 
> the grocery store (delivery trucks, shopping carts, outdoor P A system 
> announcements, etc.)?  Can the slope of the ground or the direction of the 
> sun give you any clues?  None of us is likely to walk within the lines in 
> a large, open parking lot.  Instead, the objective is to find the grocery 
> store, going from one landmark to the next to the next.  Sometimes, when 
> covering longer distances in open spaces, you will get a better 
> understanding of the environment if you walk fast rather than slow. 
> Travel is not necessarily easy, but it can be empowering when you can go 
> out and do things on your own.  I have been using a long cane for 53 years 
> and using my ears for outdoor travel for about 65.  Go for it!
>
>
>
> Lloyd Rasmussen, Kensington, MD
> http://lras.home.sprynet.com
> -----Original Message----- From: Brandon Olivares
> Sent: Saturday, April 26, 2014 7:41 PM
> To: Blind Talk Mailing List
> Subject: [Blindtlk] Walking Straight Without a Shoreline
>
> Hello,
>
> I’ve been learning the route to our local grocery store. Most of it is 
> easy, but the last part is somewhat difficult. After I cross the street, I 
> turn left and have to walk through a parking lot for a while,then the 
> building comes up. Once I’m to the building, it’s easy, but there are no 
> distinct markings showing where to walk. There are painted lines on the 
> ground, but nothing else.
>
> I didn’t know if anyone might have any ideas of how one might tackle 
> something like this, or perhaps it is just a matter of practice. Any help 
> would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
> Brandon
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